Millennium Mambo 4K Restoration
2 May 2025
In the Playhouse
Cinema
Taiwan, France | 2001 | Mandarin | Drama | MA15+
A stylish and seductive submersion into the techno-scored neon nightlife of Taipei, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Palme d'Or-nominated cult classic stars Shu Qi as an aimless bar hostess drifting away from her slacker boyfriend and towards Jack Kao’s suave, sensitive gangster. A transfixing trance-out of a movie, drenched in club lights, ecstatic endorphin-rush exhilaration, and a nagging undercurrent of weightlessness.
| Date | Time |
| Friday 2 May 2025 | 6:05pm |
| Ticket | Price |
| Standard | $30 |
| Concession | $26 |
| Ticket + Drink | |
| Standard | $39* |
| Concession | $36* |
$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction
*Includes one standard ticket plus one drink redeemable on the day of the event from the Western Foyers Bar. Drink options include one glass of house red or white wine, prosecco, house beer or soft drink. See T&Cs under 'Event information'.
Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection.
The only authorised ticket agency for this event is Sydney Opera House. For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the frequently asked questions below.
Sydney Opera House Insiders pre-sale
9am, Tuesday 4 March 2025
Become a Sydney Opera House Insider to receive exclusive pre-sale access
What’s On e-newsletter pre-sale
9am, Wednesday 5 March 2025
In Mandarin with English subtitles
Wheelchair accessible:
There are a number of wheelchair and companion seating locations in our theatres. To book accessible seating contact Box Office:
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Email bookings@sydneyoperahouse.com
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House.
Run time
The total duration of this film is approximately 105 minutes.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
The advertised start time is the introduction start time. Venue doors will open approximately 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
Age
This event is classified Mature Accompanied (MA15+) for strong drug use and is not recommended for children under the age of 15.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
Ticket + Drink Terms and Conditions
The Ticket + Drink entitles a patron to one standard entry to the film screening plus one drink. Drink options include one glass of house red or white wine, prosecco, house beer or soft drink. Red wine must be consumed prior to entering the theatre.
Redeem your drink prior to the film start time. The voucher must be redeemed on the same day as the film screening date displayed on your ticket. The drink voucher is only redeemable at the bar located in the Sydney Opera House Western Foyers. For further information please contact the Box Office: +61 2 9250 7777
Alcoholic beverages are subject to the NSW Responsible Service of Alcohol Act.
The New York TimesAstonishingly beautiful.
Useful information:
Hsiao-Hsien Hou’s dreamlike, neon-filled film newly restored in 4K
In the future of 2011, Vicky recalls her romances that unfolded a decade ago among the techno-scored neon nightlife of Taipei. Back in 2001, Vicky is a free spirit and party girl working as a hostess at a bar who begins to drift away from her DJ boyfriend towards a suave, sensitive gangster.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s follow up to the widely acclaimed Flowers of Shanghai captures the sheer weightlessness, inertia, and amnesia of life in contemporary Taipei. With magnificent cinematography from Mark Lee Ping-bing (In The Mood For Love), the hypnotic narrative focuses on Vicky as she floats into the new millennium seemingly unfettered by work, love, or family.
Millennium Mambo was nominated for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival; one of six times across his career that Hou’s work has received the accolade. In 2015, Hou won the Best Director award at the Cannes for The Assassin, a breathtaking wuxia delight which reunited him with Millennium Mambo star, Shu Qi.
Sydney Opera House and Taiwan Film Festival in Australia Presents
Credits
Hsiao-Hsien Hou
Director
T’ien-wen Chu
Writer
Cast
Shu Qi
as Vicky
Jack Kao
as Jack
Chun-hao Tuan
as Hao-Hao
Plan your visit
Venue information
Our foyers will be open two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
You may bring drinks into the venue to enjoy during the performance. Hot beverages, red wine, glassware and food however cannot be brought in due to safety and to help maintain the character of the building.
All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive.
If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval.
Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.
In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.
The authorised agency for this event is the Sydney Opera House.
Only tickets purchased by authorised agencies should be considered reliable. If you purchase tickets from a non-authorised agency such as Ticketmaster Resale, Viagogo, Ticketbis, eBay, Gumtree, Tickets Australia or any other unauthorised seller, you risk that these tickets are fake, void or have previously been cancelled. Resale restriction applies. For more details, please refer to our General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Attendance at Events.
Please contact Box Office on +61 2 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend.
Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.
The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.
Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues.
The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy.
You may also like
Africa Film Fest Australia: I Do Not Come To You By Chance
4 Sep 2025
Nigeria | 2023 | English and Igbo | Comedy | PG Kingsley has the smarts but no prospects for a job after university. Burdened with family responsibilities, he turns to his charismatic uncle, an email scammer who lures him into a web of deceit — a decision that will change the course of his life. Winner of the Africa International Film Festival Audience Choice Award, presented in Lagos, Nigeria.
Africa Film Fest Australia: Fanon
5 Sep 2025
France, Luxembourg, Canada | 2024 | French and Arabic | Biopic | M Jean-Claude Barny directs a searing biopic of French psychiatrist and philosopher Frantz Fanon. Spotlighting a series of events in the 1950s when his methods profoundly clashed with those around him, FANON shines a spotlight on the efforts of this renowned and influential thinker, working at the epicentre of colonisation.
Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert
14 – 17 Aug 2025
Experience the iconic adventure that launched the legendary Star Wars franchise, accompanied by the full Force of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing John Williams’ Oscar®-winning score live to film. Luke Skywalker begins a journey that will change the galaxy in Star Wars: A New Hope.
